Second Louisiana bank hostage dies, hospital says

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Second Louisiana bank hostage dies, hospital says

(CNN) — A second person who had been taken hostage at a rural Louisiana bank this week has died, a hospital official said Thursday.

Laden McDaniel, a woman who police said was among three Tensas State Bank employees taken hostage on Tuesday, died at Rapides Regional Medical Center, according to Sarah Clancy of the Alexandria, Louisiana, hospital.

Authorities said Fuaed Abdo Ahmed shot McDaniel and Jay Warbington as police stormed the bank in St. Joseph just before midnight Tuesday.

Police shot and killed Ahmed, Louisiana State Police Col. Michael Edmonson said. He said the gunman had threatened to kill the hostages.

Warbington died later, police said Wednesday. The third hostage had been freed before the shooting began.

Ahmed had with him a book on torture and a bag with items he could use to torture people, state police Trooper Albert Paxton said Thursday.

He also had a book on hostage negotiations, Paxton said.

Police said Ahmed, 20, was known to police, and Edmonson described him as a paranoid schizophrenic.

Ahmed told hostage negotiators that he heard voices and wanted to have a device removed from his head.

Born in California, Ahmed moved with his family to northeastern Louisiana, where his family owns a convenience store, Edmonson said.

The Mississippi River community of St. Joseph is about 35 miles south of Tallulah, Louisiana, and 35 miles north of Natchez, Mississippi. It is the seat of Tensas Parish, home to about 5,000 people.

Ahmed entered the bank branch with a handgun around 12:30 p.m., and took the three bank employees hostage, according to officials.

After word got out about the hostage situation, local, state and federal law enforcement agents descended on the usually quiet community.

Law enforcement agents were able to talk to the hostages as well as the gunman.

Edmonson said he talked to, and prayed with, relatives of the hostages.